dudley



(No Model.) G W. DUDLEY.

v v -ROTARY ENGINE. No. 259,111. Patented June 6, 1882.

a E 1 1 Q Q W INVBNTOR:

I V ATTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE W. DUDLEY, OF WAYNESBOROUGH, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE ELASTICWHEEL AND MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

\ROTARY" ENGINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 259,111, dated June 6,1882.

- Application filed September 19, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. DUDLEY, of Waynesborough, in the county ofAugusta and State of Virginia, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Rotary Engines, of which the following is a full, clear,and exact description, reference being had to the an- ;iexed drawings,forming part of this specificalOl'l.

The present invention relates to an improvement in rotary enginesdescribed in Letters Patent N 0. 236,007, which were granted to me underdate of December 28, 1880. In the said patent I have shown a rotaryengine consisting in a casing provided with an annular chamber and asegmental piston secured to the periphery of a disk, which rotates witha central hollow shaft, and which is provided with radial portscommunicating with the annular chamber upon opposite sides of thepiston, in combination with segmental valves which are hinged tooscillating valve-seats in suitable chambers at the side of the casing,and means for reversing the positions of the valve-seats, whereby theengine may be caused to rotate in either direction.

In my present invention, instead of having the seat of the exhaust-valvearranged to oscillate for thepurpose of reversing the engine, I havemade the seat stationary and provided it with a plug-valve, bymeans ofwhich the exhaust may escape at. either 'end of the, exhaust-valve. Ihave also provided an im- 7 proved means of shifting the valve inreversing the engine, and'havemade certainimprove- Inents relating tothe segmental piston, as will be hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a vertical section of one ofthe exhaust-chambers and a portion of the steam-chamber, showing thearrangement of the exhaust-valves and the construction of the segmentalpiston. Fig. 2 is a perspective of one of the valve-seats with theplug-valve in position. Fig. 3 is a similar view with the plug-valveremoved; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line no a, Fig. 1, showing aportion of the valve K and means for operating it.

The segmental exhaust-valve A is provided with journals a' at each side,and is supported in bearings formed in the walls of exhaustchamber B.The valve-seat C, which forms a knuckle-joint with the exhaust-valve, isprovided with ports 0 openingbehind the exhaustvalve, and a plug-valve,D, by means of which either port may be opened.

For taking up the wearin thejournals of the exhaust-valve, I provideplates E, having semicylindrical recesses, which are inserted inrecesses formed in the side Walls of the exhaustohaniber; so as to fitagainst the said journals, and which are adapted to be adjustedaccording to the requirement of the case by means of setscrews e, whichare inserted through the outer plate, F, by which the opening leading tothe exhaust-chamber is closed, so that their inner ends shall takeagainst the said plates or enter recesses formed therein. In like mannerthe valve-seat C is provided with set-screws'c which are adapted to takeup wear between the exhaust-valve and the said seat. With thisconstruction the ports 0 communicate with the exhaust-pipe G by means ofthe passage between the valve-seat C and the outer plate, F, which issecured to the casing so as to form one of the walls of theexhaust-chamber.

The segmental piston H is secured to the disk '1, between two tangentialprojections formed on the periphery of said disk. These projections t,which are solid, constitute a part of the piston, and theports J aremade to pass through the said projections at their highest point, sothat a close and instantaneous connection shall be formed between theport and the abutting end of the exhaust-valve when the'piston passesthe said valve. v

For shifting the valve K, Iprovide a clutchcollar, L, which is adaptedto slide upona feather, l, on the outer surface of the hollow centralshaft, M, and which is provided with an internal groove, in which fits apin, m, passing through a slot in the hollow shaft, and rigidly securedto the said valve. With this construction, when the collar is made toslide upon the feather Z the pin on will follow the spiral groove andcause the valve to be shifted from one port J to the other, and thusallow the steam to pass to the opposite side of the piston.

It is designed that suitable connections shall be formed between thevalve K and the plug valve D, so that the same movement may suffice foradjusting the valves in reversing the engine.

The operation of the engine is as follows: When steam is admitted intothe piston-chamber through one of the radial ports J one of the twoexhaust-valves A arranged on opposite sides of the piston-chamber,serves as an abutment for the steam, and the piston H is forced towardthe opposite exhaust-valve, passing under its abutting end, and thusclosing the valve. \Vheu the piston has thus passe g under the abuttingend of the exhaust-valve, and proceeds to pass beyond it, the saidabutting end is caused to slide down the tangential projection t" at therear of the piston by the pressure of the steam against the opposite endthereof, which tends to force the exhaustvalve open. As soon, however,as the port J at the rear of the piston has passed the abutting end ofthe exhaust-valve A the steam is admitted behind the said abutting end,and thus, as the piston passes on, said abutting end is held in closecontact with the said projection 5 until it reaches the bottom of thepistonchamber and the exhaust-valve is completely opened, allowing theexhaust-steam to escape. In this manner each exhaust-valve in turnserves as an abutment for the steam, and at the same time keeps theexhaust-valve open, the said valve being closed only at the instant thepiston is passing underit. It will be seen that in this manner theabutting ends of the exhaustvalves are made to form a close connectionwith the tangential projections 2 so that the live steam is instantlyout off from the exhaust as the port J is successively carried beyondthe said abutting ends. When the engine is reversed the operation isprecisely the same, but in the opposite direction.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a rotary engine, thecombinatiomwith thedouble exhaust-valve A, of the disk I, having solid tangentialprojections i and ports J issuing through the said projections at theirhighest point, and the segmental piston H, secured between saidprojections, substantially as shown and described, whereby an abutmentshall be formed simultaneously with the opening of the exhaust-valve, asset forth.

2. In a rotary engine, the combinatiomwith the segmental exhaust-valveA, supported in the walls of its chamber, and the stationary valve-seatU, forming a knuckle-joint with the valve A, of the outer plate, F,forming a wall of the said chamber, and provided with setscrews 6 o andthe recessed plates E, substantially as shown and described, and for thepurpose set forth.

3. In a rotary engine, the combination, with the valve K, having a pin,in, which projects through a slot in the hollow shaft M, of theclutch-collarL,havingauinternalspiral groove for receiving the pin, andadapted to slide upon a feather, l, on the outer surface of the saidshaft, substantially as shown and described.

GEORGE W. DUDLEY.

Witnesses A. G. LYNE, Some: (1. Knivron.

